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• Research ethics is closely related to the ethical principles of social responsibility
• This research covers a wide context of working with people, so the researchers raised a task not only to gain confidence in the respondents' eyes, to receive reliable data, but also to ensure the transparency of the science
• This module discusses the theoretical and practical topics of research, after evaluation of which ethical principles of organization and conducting the research are presented
• There is a detailed description of how and what ethical principles were followed on the different stages of the research
• Learning Objectives


  • Discuss the roles of IRBs and the APA Guidelines in the ethical conduct of research using human participants
  • Describe the meaning of animal welfare and how it is protected
  • Evaluate the meaning of animal rights and the views of animal rights activists
  • Enumerate and explain scientific fraud and how to avoid plagiarism
  • Show accuracy and skilled at ethical considerations of research reports
• Topics


  • Research Ethics
  • The American Psychological Association Guidelines
  • Protecting the Welfare of Animal Subjects
  • Fraud in Science
  • Plagiarism
  • Ethical Reports
• Research Ethics


  The correct rules of conduct necessary when carrying out research
• Psychologists have a moral responsibility to protect research participants from harm
• Psychologists must abide by certain moral principles and rules of conduct
• The purpose of experimental research in psychology is to enhance our knowledge of the psychological characteristics of the human species
• Psychologists often use human and animal subjects in their experiments
• The development of valid laws of psychology may require that a subject be deceived or in some way physically harmed
• Psychologists are bound by a code of ethics in which the psychological and physical safety of subjects is rigidly safeguarded
• Institutional Review Board (IRB)

  An administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution with which it is affiliated
• The IRB is charged with the responsibility of reviewing, prior to its initiation, all research (whether funded or not) involving human participants
• The IRB has the authority to approve, disapprove, monitor, and require modifications in all research activities that fall within its jurisdiction
• The IRB shall have at least five members of varying backgrounds in order to provide complete and adequate review of human research and its institutional, legal, scientific, and social implications
• The IRB will also include at least one member who is not affiliated with the institution and one member who is not a scientist
• The IRB has several consultants who advise the Board and are periodically involved in protocol review
• There were controversies regarding the ethics of research where vulnerable groups of patients were used without proper explanation on risk
• The American Psychological Association established APA Style, a set of rules designed to aid in the communication of information in the social sciences
• Abuses of human and animal subjects have caused great concern among psychologists and some members of the public
• The Committee on Scientific and Professional Ethics has been formed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to develop a series of ethical principles
• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct

  Psychologists work to develop a valid and reliable body of scientific knowledge based on research, and they may apply that knowledge to human behavior in a variety of contexts. Their goal is to broaden knowledge of behavior and, where appropriate, to apply it pragmatically to improve the condition of both the individual and the society. Psychologists respect the central importance of freedom of inquiry and expression in research, teaching, and publication. They also strive to help the public in developing informed judgments and choices concerning human behavior.
• General Principles


  • Competence
  • Integrity
  • Concern for Others' Welfare
  • Social Responsibility
• Informed Consent to Research (APA Standard 8.02)

  Psychologists inform participants about the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures; their right to decline to participate and to withdraw; the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing; reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to participate; any prospective research benefits; limits of confidentiality; incentives for participation; and whom to contact for questions about the research and research participants' rights, they provide opportunity for the prospective participants to ask questions and receive answers
• Psychologists conducting intervention research involving the use of experimental treatments clarify to participants the experimental nature of the treatment, the services that will or will not be available to the control group(s), the means by which assignment to treatment and control groups will be made, available treatment alternatives if an individual does not wish to participate in the research or wishes to withdraw once a study has begun, and compensation for or monetary costs of participating
• The Ethical Principles of Psychologists' requirements for consent forms includes that the agreement be clear and explicit, that the terms be fair and not exploitive, and that the investigator honor the agreement
• Deception


  Occurs when researchers purposely mislead research subjects by providing them with false information or misdirect them in some way about some aspect of the research procedure and/or purpose of the research
• Incomplete Disclosure


  Occurs when the researchers withhold information about some aspect of the research from the subjects
• Deception or incomplete disclosure will only be permitted when the researcher documents that an alteration of the usual informed consent requirements is justified under the criteria presented in the federal regulations
• The IRB must find that the research presents no more than minimal risk to subjects, the alteration will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the subjects, and the research could not practicably be carried out without the alteration
• People spend studying for finals but they aren't told the secondary purpose which is to examine how well they performed on their finals
• Researchers inform subjects that the study is exploring people's ability to read quickly but they do not tell subjects that a task they will complete during the research is intended to also examine their emotional responses to certain words they read
• Deception or incomplete disclosure


  Alteration of the usual informed consent requirements that is justified under the criteria presented in the federal regulations (45 CFR 46.116(d))
• Criteria for deception or incomplete disclosure to be permitted

  • The research presents no more than minimal risk to subjects
  • The alteration will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the subjects
  • The research could not practicably be carried out without the alteration
  • Where appropriate, the subjects will be provided with additional pertinent information after participation
• Research subjects cannot be deceived about significant aspects of the research that would affect their willingness to participate or that would cause them physical or emotional harm
• Adequate justification for the use of deception or incomplete disclosure must be included in the IRB protocol application and should describe why the research cannot be conducted without the use of deception. Further, the benefits of using deception in this research must outweigh the risks
• Subjects should be informed about the deception or incomplete disclosure (debriefed) as soon as possible
• Debriefing


  A crucial component of the consent process for any research involving the use of deception or incomplete disclosure, where subjects are given the full explanation of how and why they were deceived and the true hypotheses being tested